My ferrets will not stop biting their cage bars?
Try giving them another hour or two out of the cage at a different point in the day. So, if you let them out for three hours in the morning, then at night, just open the cage doors and let them romp around for another hour or so. Giving them two split play times will allow them to have two "sessions" as opposed to one, and will burn their energy. They're babies, so you will have to make sure that they're always stimulated. Besides that, add some toys to the cage that they can play with. Mine like stuffed animals, small blankets that they can drag around, and crocheted eggs. (Plastic eggs with yarn crocheted around them- the eggs are filled with a ferret-safe material that makes it rattle.) Also, ferrets require things to chew on, as in the wild, they would gnaw on bones. Some treats that you can get them that are chewy are N-Bones. I also get Cheweasels, which have a hole in them. I put a shower curtain hook through the hole, and then hook it to the inside of the cage so that they have something to chew. Mine also like chewing on tennis balls (the ones made for pets are safe for them to chew), as they like the texture of the exterior.
My ferret won't stop biting the cage?
i can't take it anymore. i been trying for weeks to get him to knock it off and it's really making me suicidal. i have tried playing with him all day so he sleeps at night, i've tried putting a thick blanket over his cage, i've tried squirting him with water/flicking his nose and i tried using lemon juice on the bars and using fooey. I can't taking any ******* more. i sleep MAYBE three hours a night and it's making me emotionally unstable. i don't know what else to do. everybody i ask doesn't know what to do and every website's idea i've tried. what do i do? there has to be something that'll work. please....
How do I get my ferret to stop biting his cage?
He kept getting out of his cage, so I got locks to put on all the doors of his cage and secured all the corners and stuff with heavy duty wire ties. Now he's CONSTANTLY biting at his cage, and even though most of the time he's trying to open the door, sometimes he just bites the bars. He'll grab it between his front teeth and just pull back and it makes the whole cage vibrate with a "BUNG, BUNG" sound. It drives me insane and he does it while I'm sleeping and wakes me up when I have to go to school the next morning. I know his cage isn't too small, considering it's taller than I am at 5'6" so, it's big enough. He's got food, he's got water, he's got toys, even though he's never played with them, and he can't want to be let out, because if I take him out he just goes and finds somewhere to sleep, and he's got his own hammock. Is he lonely? I was considering getting another ferret, but Buddy is 5 already, and grew up by himself. I just got him a couple months ago 'cause his owner died. Any advice?
My ferret will not stop cage biting/scratching?
I agree that you don't want to reinforce his behavior by letting him out when he bites, but I also think you should prevent him from doing that by letting him out of his cage more. You want him to think of his cage, well, not like a cage...more like his "room." Your room is your place where you can do what you want, organize your things the way you want, have peace and quiet, etc. It isn't somewhere you are locked in, like he is. A lot of times I leave my ferret's cage door (bottom one) open and when he is finished playing he just goes back in the cage and will take a nap. Mine is really bad about playing with toys I get him, but the one thing that occupies him when I really need him to be caged is chew toys. Rubber toys (especially kong toys) are okay for some ferrets (just check them regularly for wear), the edible foam fries and edible rubber toys, and ferret chew sticks. I would get a child proof gate to put in your doorway so he can stay our of his cage most of the time. My ferret doesn't like to be contained to one room but he is happy with it if there is stuff around for him to explore. I do things like overturn boxes and place empty bags for him to look inside, it's as good as buying toys. I think getting a second ferret is a great idea. I got just my one ferret originally because all the books I read about ferrets didn't emphasize them being social. But, now I'm looking into getting one or two more ferrets because I think it would be good for him to have a friend around and it couldn't hurt anything.
My ferrets keep biting me. Is this normal? and how do i get them to stop?
I had been hoping to get ferrets since the beginning of this year and reseaching for any information i could find on them. then 2 ferrets that i had been looking at for a while went on sale at Today's Pets. The lady at the store said they were 6 or 7 months old. I brought them home with little trouble and got them settled in their cage but the next day when i took them out they started biting me. I tried Bitter Apple and saying "NO" when they bit me but i don't think it was working. After having them for about 3 weeks my mom sent me on vacation. I was away for 3 weeks and my mom was taking care of them. When i came home they were still biting. I think the boy ferret is only playing but the girl will bite down and shake her head and it will take me a few minutes to get her off me. Is it normal for a ferret to hold on like that? Also the girl doesn't like the ferretone or the hairball treatment so how do i get her to take the treatment? and what treats can i give her when she behaves?
How do i get my ferret to stop biting her cage bars at night? it makes me crazy?
Not sure why this is under rodents, seeing as how ferrets are NOT rodents, and they are obligate carnivores (meaning they can only eat meat).... But she's suffering from cage stress. Let them out to play more, or get them more toys to play with inside the cage so they're not so bored. A lot of people say that their ferrets LOVE chewing on these - http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.js... A lot of them put a hole in them and hang them in the cage so it's more of a challenge for them to get to them.
Why is my ferret biting everone?
A baby ferret (Kit) can bite human hands pretty hard. To eliminate this behavior, GENTLY “scruff” the loose skin at the back of the neck as a mother ferret (or cat) will do with her babies, and hold the ferret up for about 20 seconds, firmly saying NO! Scruffing usually makes a ferret go completely limp, just as it would if mom were doing the scruffing to move the kit around. If you do this consistently, and make sure all people handling avoid handling it until it is trained, the kit should learn not to bite. NOTE: ferrets should never be left alone with babies, small children, or family visitors. Rarely, serious injuries have have occurred, and can even a small bite can cause a ferret to be reported to animal control. Be aware of your state’s laws on rabies vaccinations, and get your ferret vaccinated.If the ferret is older, and still untrained, the bite can be much harder, but older ferrets can successfully be trained in the same manner. It takes more bravery and patience, and you must be sure not to overdo it, as the ferret’s possible prior cage isolation or abuse by an uneducated owner may have caused a deeper problem. Be aware that many ferrets who bite are tossed out (on the mistaken assumption they can “live in the wild), and are at risk for being euthanized by animal control when found or a bite is reported.See the American Ferret Assiciation website for ferret tips and resources, including an international list of shelters, clubs, ferret fun events/shows and veterinarians. These are great resources for the new ferret owner, and many shelters will even evaluate your biting ferret, educate you, and might offer to foster the ferret for a while to help train a difficult case.
How do I stop one ferret from beating up on the other ferret?
Ferrets have to work out a pecking order when they're introduced. The rule of thumb is: no blood, no poop, no foul. In other words if there's just dragging around and a little screaming, let them work it out. I watched your videos and I didn't see anything but normal ferret behavior. I did notice your older ferret appears to be a DEW and therefore may be deaf and deaf ferrets tend to vocalize a lot more than hearing ferrets. If they are really fighting you can try bathing them together so that they have the same scent. If the baby is biting you too hard he needs to be taught what is appropriate. When he bites too hard, grab him by the scruff and drag him across the floor a little ways. This is how Mama ferrets discipline their young. In the meantime use a stuffed animal or some other toy to interact with him with rather than your hand. Keep in mind that ferrets tend to play rough and their skin is a lot thicker than ours so that what you may think is fighting between the ferrets could be just play to them.
My ferret won't stop biting and yanking on her cage makeing a loud noise. What can i do?
My one ferret, Chloe acted like this when I first got her. She was very young and small, so I put her in a small, temporary cage by herself until she was big enough to go to the permanent cage with my other, fully grown ferrets. Well, she used to climb the cage, pull at the bars with her teeth, dig at the sides, and make this sound that sounded like a crying baby. I think she was just lonely, because I ended up housing her with my oldest male (who wasn't quite as wild as the other ferrets) and the crying and acting up stopped. She just didn't like being left alone. If you can afford to, get her a little buddy to keep her company when you're not home. Another thing, are you giving her enough outside-cage time? They need 4 to 6 hours of time outside their cage. Ferrets are like cats, they sleep a lot, about 15 to 20 hours, so at least 4 hours of outside-cage time is plenty (NOT cruel as someone said above). If they don't get enough rip time, then they will get bored and restless in their cage and start to act up. If you can't let her out to run for that long because you don't have that much time to supervise her, then I suggest buying a pet play pen so that she can be out even when you can't watch her as closely as you normally would (although I don't recommend using it EVERYTIME she gets out of her cage, she'll need and want more room to run every now and then, it's just for those times when she needs out but you can't be right there every second). They're not too expensive, I think the one I got was $35. It's 29-inches high and has eight 18-inch wide panels, plus I bought a three pack of expansion panels, so it ends up being 16.5 square feet of room (12 square feet without the expansion panels). I mostly use mine opened up as a long gate to block them from certain things. As for needing a mate, if you bought her from a pet shop, she should already be spayed, so the mating thing wouldn't be an issue. Just try giving her more outside-cage time and, if you can afford it, I really recommend you get her a buddy. They're very social animals, and a buddy would really help cure her loneliness when you're not around!
Can you train a cat to stop attacking ferrets?
When you say your cat attacks ferrets, what exactly do you mean? In my 30 years’ experience with cats and ferrets, usually the ferrets win. Cats seem to recognize ferrets as fellow predators, usually, and while they won’t all like each other, the cat doesn’t generally chase something that turns and stares at them.If the cat is bopping the ferret on the head, that could be a problem if the cat scratches the ferret’s eye (vet trip!). It really depends on what the cat is actually doing. I’ve seen cats play with ferrets, especially when young. If the cat is “bopping” you could trim the cat’s nails to reduce the chance of an eye injury.Is the cat actually biting and drawing blood? Grabbing the ferret and shaking it? If you give me more information, I could give you a better answer.